Play the Game
by Andrea Jacobs
Summary: Hermione's secret's out. To Snape. Hermione goes bad girl. Will be HGSS
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi there, I just finished writing this and I'm not sure it's good so please, please, please review! It's just something that came into my mind an hour ago and I decided to write it down. **_

_**To those who read my other stories - I will not continue Our love is the real thing (at least not at the moment) but I'm almost finished with the next chapter of Appearances, thanks for your patience. **_

_**xxxxx**_

Hermione laughed happily as she made her way through the room. She moved to the bar and smiled flirtily at the man behind the bar, before sitting down on a bar stool.

"What can I get for you, lovely witch?" The barman asked.

"A Bloody Mary, please." She winked playfully at him, before looking up and down.

"Are you alright, Miss?," the man asked gently.

"Yes, of course! I've never been better! I'm perfect," Hermione declared loudly.

"Okay, I believe you," he replied sceptically and went to make her drink.

"I really am fine!," she called after him.

The music was loud and the place crowded. If you tried, you could feel the beat of the music through your body. Everyone was drinking a lot, while still being sober enough to behave themselves. The temperature was pefect, it was hot enough for the women to wear nothing but very thin vests. People were still entering the club, even though time was approaching 3 a.m. It was the ultimate Saturday night.

Hermione looked around the room. There were quite a few good looking men, some of them gestured for her to come over. She tried to wave back but ended up on the floor instead. The second after she had got up on the chair, the barman appeared with the drink.

"Thanks!" Hermione smiled sweetly and drank half the drink in a few seconds.

"It's free for you, Miss."

"Why, thanks a lot!" She downed the other half. "Do you have something strong...ah stronger than this? It's my first drink tonight..." Her seductive smile made the barman want to satisfy her wishes.

"In a moment, Miss." He did not believe her, yet he found her so pretty that he could not refuse her anything.

Some thirty minutes later, Hermione was dancing like crazy on the dance floor. She felt amazing. In fact, she had never felt this good before. It was as though all her problems had vanished.

She was dancing rather close with a very handsome young man. He was pulling her top off her shoulders, exposing her white bra. As she was so caught up in the dance, she did not notice a familiar man approaching her.

"Miss Granger," a deep voice said, patting her on the shoulder.

Hermione turned around and faced the one who was interrupting a most enjoyable dance.

"Professor! Why don't you join us?," she exclaimed brightly and put her arms around his neck, moving along with the music.

The dark eyes of Severus Snape looked at her in astonishment before he opened his mouth.

"Miss Granger, you are to come with me immediately!," Snape hissed into her ear, dragging her off the dance floor. She grabbed a drink on the way out but her teacher grabbed it out of her hand.

The bartender walked towards them, holding something in his hand.

"Miss, you forgot your purse!," he called after them.

"Thank you," Snape muttered and jerked the purse from the bartender. "Fix your clothes for God's sake!" He had a hard time keeping his eyes off her cleavage.

"Why? I'm feeling so good, professor!"

Snape cursed inwardly and straightened Hermione's clothes so that they covered her bra.

When they had exited the club, Snape pressed a vial to her mouth.

"For the alcohol," he muttered.

Hermione drank it and smiled confidently at him.

The professor waited a few seconds before speaking.

"What the hell were you doing in there, Miss Granger?," he bellowed.

"Let's go have some fun, professor," she tittered. "Let's go back inside, I want another drink."

Snape looked thoughtfully at her for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"Miss Granger, have you accepted a drink from someone else than the bartender tonight?"

"No. Let's go back in, Sir. I wanna dance!" Hermione moved her hips slightly.

"Have you accepted a cigarette from someone else?" Snape locked his eyes with hers.

"No, I always bring my own. Ah...I feel so good, professor! This night's perfect, isn't it?"

Snape opened her purse, without feeling the slightest bit of guilt. He found a small bottle of scotch, a lipgloss, some galleons and a plastic bag that looked suspicious.

As he emptied the plastic bag on the ground, he let go of her. Hermione fell to the ground the second time that evening. She laughed heartily as she sat up.

The Head of House quickly scanned through the contents. He found some white pulver, a couple of small paper sheets and a lighter.

"We have to go back to Hogwarts, Miss Granger. Please try to stay calm," Snape ordered.

Almost an hour later they reached the gates of Hogwarts. Hermione had falled over several times along the way and Snape was getting rather tired of her. He brought her to his office and ordered her to sit down. In the meantime he fetched an antidote from his personal stock.

"Drink this." Snape commanded and handed her a small vial.

Hermione obeyed and downed the liquid in one gulp. After a minute or so her eyes widened in realisation. She looked from her professor's stern face to her open purse on his desk.

"Would you care to explain what you were doing at the Black Lion at this hour? Alone. Smoking cannabis. Drinking alcohol. The last time I checked, it wass strictly forbidden for students to go to Hogsmeade during evenings, unless they are granted a special permission. I am surprised at your lack of judgement, Miss Granger."

"I'm so sorry, Sir. It won't happen again," Hermione said with a trembling voice.

"I do not believe it was your first time. Tell me all about it and you may not get expelled."

"Expulsion?" She was gobsmacked. "Please, Professor Snape, I'll tell you everything if you will just let me stay, please, Sir!".

Snape almost enjoyed seeing her this helpless.

"Miss Granger, you have to understand that you have broken several rules. You are no longer Head Girl," he announced. "However, I could reconsider the reasons for your expulsion if you tell me the entire story."

"Fine. I'll tell you everything," Hermione said despondently.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews! Though it would be nice if you could give me some feedback...**

**Xxxx**

..."Miss Granger, you have to understand that you have broken several rules. You are no longer Head Girl," he announced. "However, I could reconsider the reasons for your expulsion if you tell me the entire story."

"Fine. I'll tell you everything," Hermione said despondently...

"Please, do," Snape said mockingly.

"Well... Umm... I don't know where to start," she said, blushing.

Hermione looked at the walls, trying to come up with a clever excuse. However, this was not her lucky day. She tapped her nails on the desk, thinking desperately.

"Miss Granger, I think I would prefer the truth," the professor said warningly.

"I would appreciate if you did not use leglimency on me, professor," she said quietly.

"Unfortunately for you, Miss Granger, you are not in charge. Now tell me everything."

"Well.. I... Umm the first time I had alcohol was the summer before my fourth year. I hung out with these muggle guys quite a lot back then. We were on the beach, and one of them had stolen a bottle of vodka from his parents. They passed it around, and I, well I kind of like the feeling it infused," she said, feeling very uncomfortable. She tried to avoid his piercing eyes.

"You were thirteen the first time you were drunk. My, I did not expect that from you, Miss Granger. Apparently wonders never cease to occur." Snape gestured for her to continue.

"I met those guys this year too. They smoked weed, and so did I. One of the guys sent me this," she pointed at the empty plastic bag. "For my birthday. That's about it I suppose."

"What you are saying, Miss Granger, is that the reason for your behaviour is bad company. I don't buy that," Snape said skeptically.

"I wouldn't call it bad company," Hermione replied defensively. "They're not all stupid, you know. One of the guys got accepted at the University of Oxford, for example."

"I see. Now, would you please tell me the rest?," he said ironically.

"There's nothing more. That's all, I promise." She looked into his eyes.

"Never look into the eyes of a leglimens, Miss Granger. I can tell a lie," Snape warned. "Why do you sneak out to Hogsmeade? I can tell you are seeing someone."

"Do you really have to know everything?," she asked desperately.

"Do you really want to get expelled?," he retorted dryly.

"Martin's a wizard. He got accepted at the Academy of Paris." Hermione almost thought she heard her professor gasp, but decided that it was nothing but delusion. "I told you he was clever. They only accept about 25 people each year."

"I am very well aware of that, Miss Granger," Snape snorted. _Naturally she always has to be an insufferable know-it-all_, he thought sourly.

"Martin brought me to some wizard pubs in Hogsmeade this summer. I met someone. I couldn't stand being without him, so I sneaked out."

"Miss Granger, are you not aware of the risks? Did you not know that there are death eaters in Hogsmeade during night time? Did you even consider the risks?," he muttered questioningly.

"With all due respect, Professor. I was not seeing a death eater," she said softly.

"Miss Granger, you are on the Dark Lord's most wanted list. I am astonished that you are taking such risks. You are endangering yourself and those around you."

"Sir, if I tell you who he is, will you please stop accusing me of having an affair with a death eater. I am not a fool, for Merlin's sake."

"Language, Granger," Snape snapped.

"Professor William Artory. I told you he's not a death eater."

"Miss Granger, I believe I have to update you on the laws of the Wizarding World. It is illegal for an adult to have an affair with someone under the age of 17. Professor Artory is 35."  
"I am 17, Sir. However, that is not of any importance, as we split up two weeks ago. This is my first time in Hogsmeade since then. I brought my birthday gift from Martin with me, I didn't really plan on getting high but then I just felt like it and thought 'why not'. Sir, I'll do anything, just don't expel me, please...," Hermione pleaded.

"I will have a word with the headmaster and I will let you in on the consequences tomorrow morning. Come see me in my office before breakfast. Now you are going straight to bed, no excuses," Snape declared and expected her to run out of his office.

"Thank you, professor. Umm... do you think you could refrain from mentioning William? It's just that I really wouldn't want something to get in the way of his career."

"Goodnight, Miss Granger." He swung the door open with a flick of his wand.

"Goodnight, Sir," Hermione whispered as she slowly walked out of the room.

-----

Hermione did not sleep very well that night. She lay awake for an hour, scolding herself.

"_What if this is my last night ever here? I won't even get to finish my N.E.W.T.s. What on earth are my parents going to say? Where am I going to go? What are Harry and Ron going to say? How could I screw it up like this? I really am fucked up, aren't I?,_"Hermione thought sorrowly and she started sobbing quietly.

After an hour or so, she finally fell asleep. Unfortunately, nightmares were haunting her. Most of them included a really dissappointed Professor McGonagall who told her over and over again how dissappointed she was in her. Professor Dumbledore was also in his dreams, saying that he had to expel her. Snape was there too, he was just watching the scene though.

She awoke as her alarm went off, after just two hours of sleep. Her body was wet of cold sweat.

Thankfully, she had her own room which meant that no one would have noticed at what time she went to bed. After a quick shower, she entered the Gryffindor common room, feeling very haggard.

"Hermione, hey! Mione!," Ron called for her as he descended the stairs.

"Morning, Ron," she replied tonelessly.

"You ok?," he asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, of course!," she forced a smile. "Where's Harry anyway?

"He's not feeling too good, he's still in bed," Ron explained. "Let's go to breakfast!"

"I can't, I have to go see Professor Snape about something. I bet it's got something to do with the next Hogsmeade weekend or something like that," she lied quickly.

"Ah, I see. It's a hard life being Head girl, eh?"

"Yeah... I'll see you later," she mumbled and hurried off.

-----

The flies in her stomach was almost unbearable. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the dungeons. Despite that, her hand knocked firmly on the door to Snape's office.

"Come in," he replied out of habit.

Hermione nervously entered his office. She saw him gesture on the chair in front of him and she sat down, waiting for him to speak up.

"I see you have not got a lot of sleep," Snape began as he eyed her.

She found it strange that he did not look tired at all. _Well, maybe he's got this fantastic potion, _she thought.

"I have spoken to the Headmaster and your Head of House. We have come to an agreement."

Snape smirked slightly as he could almost hear her breathe.

"You will be allowed to stay at Hogwarts. However, you are no longer Head girl," The Head of House explained and he watched his student's eyes get teary. "Each evening you will have to meet me in my office at 9 p.m. to leave a blood sample. If there are any traces of alcohol or drugs in your blood you will be expelled with immediate effect."

Hermione could not express in words how relieved she felt. At least she would be able to finish her N.E.W.T.s. It would be very embarrassing, though, when the colleges she applied for would learn that she had been Head girl but had been bereaved the title.

"Ah, I forgot to mention that you will serve detention every evening except Sundays at 7 p.m., starting tonight. You will have detention with Professor McGonagall every Monday and Thursday. Unfortunately, you will serve the other detentions with me."

"Yes, Sir," Hermione mumbled.

"Consider yourself lucky. If it were not for your Head of House, you would be expelled by now," Snape snapped.

"I understand. Umm... you didn't mention William, did you, professor?," she asked anxiously.

"I did not find it necessary," he replied curtly.

"Thank you, Sir. I really appreciate it." The Gryffindor smiled slightly and left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi there, many thanks to those of you who reviewed!! It would be nice though if more people would review, or else I might be considering quitting this story.. xxx**

Hermione entered the library, feeling a lot better than before. It was as though an enormous amount of weight had been taken off her shoulders. She was still quite anxious about the fact that she was no longer Head girl, as she had absolutely no idea of what she was going to say to her friends. Anything but the truth was her only option.

She sat down on her usual chair next to a rather small table in a quiet corner. Hopefully she would be able to focus on her studies for a while.

"'Mione!," Harry called as he entered the library. He walked up to her and patted her on the shoulder to get her attention.

"Harry!?," she exclaimed. "You didn't have to scare me…"

"Sorry," he apologised. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since dinner yesterday."

"I was up all night studying. Then I had to visit Professor Snape this morning," Hermione paused a few seconds, thinking rapidly. "I...well, I've decided to quit being Head girl. It was too much stress and I feel I have to focus on my N.E.W.T.s.".

"Really? I thought you loved being Head girl," Harry said astonishedly.

"Well, I did, at first. But it's just been so much with all these night patrols and other stuff, " Hermione lied quickly. She felt bad for lying to her friend, but saw no other option.

"I see. Do you wanna go for a walk or something?," Harry suggested.

"I'd love to, but I've really got to finish this Arithmancy essay. But I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah. See you!," the boy replied and left the library.

-----

Snape walked through a busy London street at lunch time the same day. He entered a small restaurant and was ushered to a table for two in the back of the restaurant.

Professor Artory rose when he saw Snape arrive and they shook hands, before sitting down.

Artory was a man in his mid 30:s though his looks made him look like 25. His brown hair was neatly combed and he was wearing a black, well-fitting suit. Nature had indeed been very kind to him, he had perfect features and a muscular body. It was only the small area around his ears that betrayed his age.

"Hello, how do you do? I haven't heard from you in a long time," Artory greeted, smiling broadly at the other man.

"I am well, thank you. I am aware of that, I feel I have to apologise for neglecting you. I have been busy, old friend. Unfortunately there is something important I have to discuss with you. I hope that you will understand," Snape said, eyeing the man very closely. He admired the other man's face jelously and immediately understood what his student saw in the man.

"I see, it is alright. What is the matter at hand?," Artory questioned curiously.

"I have it on good authority that you have been involved with a student of mine. She was by the time of your relationship under the age of 17. I never thought you one of bending the rules, William," Snape explained amusedly.

A waiter stopped by their table to take their orders.

"I understand that there is nothing for me to deny. Did she come running to you?," he asked.

"When I was out in Hogsmeade last night, I found Miss Granger in a club. She was half naked, drunk and high. I later found out that she had been smoking cannabis," Snape paused to breathe. "We had a very interesting conversation last night, which resulted in her telling me about your relationship. You may be interested in knowing that she is no longer Head girl,".

"I'm sorry to hear that," Artory said despondently. "I met her this summer at a restaurant. Her friend introduced her as 21. As she is intelligent beyond her years, you may understand me when I say I thought her to be of age. Apparently Hermione was not aware of her friend's lie, because when she told me that she was going back to Hogwarts, she did not intend to surprise me. She was rather shocked when she learned of my mistake. I saw her a couple of times in Hogsmeade during September. Believe me when I say that I did not encourage her to sneak out. I think I also ought to mention that I ended our sexual relationship the moment I got to know her real age," the professor explained. "I am rather embarrassed at the fact that I 'used' a girl who was not of age,".

"Don't tell me you shagged one of my students," Snape moaned. He had a hard time trying to remove the picture of Hermione and Artory from his head.

"You have to believe me when I say I thought her to be of age. It never occurred to me that she was still a student. You have to admit that she both looks and acts very mature,".

"Miss Granger's looks are none of my concerns. What I am interested in knowing, though, is if she was drinking a lot when you were involved with her. Did you see her taking any drugs?," Snape asked questioningly.

The waiter appeared with their food.

"Well, it would be a lie to say that she didn't drink alcohol, though I can not recall seeing her drunk at any time. She did not take any drugs, as far as I'm concerned. However, you must know that she's not as innocent as she looks. It's not like I was her first shag or anything. Hell, she was really good in bed," Artory smirked as he recalled the memories.

"How can you speak of her in that disrespectful manner?," Snape snapped. It was obvious that he was disgusted by the other man's behaviour. "You ought to be lucky that she will not press charges against you. She could devastate your career if she wanted to," he warned.

"She won't. Anyway, who would believe her? She's 16 for Merlin's sake,".

"17," The Slytherin corrected. "I believe we are done here. Stay away from her. Apparently you are not the one I thought you were," Snape finished and left the restaurant.

-----

Dinner came far too quickly for Hermione's taste, as she feared for the moment when the Headmaster would announce the new Head girl. She hardly ate anything, she was too nervous and too tired.

At the end of the dinner, Professor Dumbledore rose and attracted everyone's attention.

"Good evening, students!," he greeted them. "I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, I have assigned a new Head girl, as Miss Granger decided to step down,".

"What?!," Ron exclaimed, looking at Hermione in disbelief.

"Hush," Harry said.

"The new Head girl is Padma Patil. I hope that you will treat her with respect. Secondly, Professor Flitwick has asked me to say that he will be holding extra classes for all seventh years interested, on Mondays at 7 p.m. in his usual classroom. That will be all, good night!,".

"Hermione? Why?," Ron asked when the headmaster had finished his speech.

"I felt it had too much influence over my studies. I really want to focus on my N.E.W.T.s as they're approaching," she said and avoided his eyes.

"'Mione, they're in like, eight eight months!," the redhead protested.

"Well, yes, but I'm behind in my revision schedule already," she glanced at her watch. "Now, if you don't mind, I've got to study. I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Sure," Harry smiled at her while Ron just nodded at her.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hiya! I'm so sorry that there hasn't been an update for so long, but I've been really really busy with school. _

_Please R&R!_

_xxxx_

Hermione hurried down to the dungeons, not wanting to be late. She knocked on the door just on time and entered Snape's office.

"Miss Granger," Snape acknowledged her without looking up from his paperwork. "Have a seat," he muttered.

"Good evening, Sir," she replied silently and sat down in the chair in front of his desk.

"Hand me your arm," he ordered.

Hermione offered her arm reluctantly and he pulled up her sleeve. He brought a tiny vial next to her arm.

"This might hurt a little," Snape said expressionlessly. He whispered some kind of spell and a moment later, the vial was full of blood. There was only a tiny cut on Hermione's arm. He gently cleaned it with a small pad and then said a healing spell, leaving her arm looking just like five minutes ago.

Hermione was astonished at how gentle he had been with his arm, but showed no reaction.

Snape put the now closed vial on his desk and turned to look at her.

"Your task for tonight is to scrub couldrons, without using any magic. The cauldrons are in my classroom. Let me know when you are done," he informed her and returned to his paperwork.

"Yes, Sir," Hermione replied tiredly.

Snape sighed when he heard the door slam shut. He could not help but feel a tiny bit of compassion for the Gryffindor. It was obvious how happy she had been when she realised that she was going to be Head girl. However, he also felt that she had set up her own trap. Hence she pretty much deserved what she got.

He sighed loudly once again and returned to marking papers. It really was rather boring.

-----

About an hour later Hermione knocked on her professor's door. He asked her to enter the room and she declared that she was finished.

"Very well then, I shall inspect the cauldrons later," Snape said carelessly. It was apparent that he was very bored indeed. "Do not believe that you are finished now. You are to write an essay, on the subject of your drinking. You have one hour, Miss Granger. There are quills and parchments in my classroom,".

"Yes, Sir,". Hermione had to put a lot of effort into surpressing her sigh.

-----

Exactly one hour later, Hermione returned from the classroom. She handed the essay to her professor and looked at him anxiously.

"Miss Granger," Snape said and eyed her essay.

"Sir, may I ask you a question?," she asked nervously.

"You already did," he replied curtly.

"Well, yesterday you said that I wouldn't have detentions on Sundays. If I'm not mistaken, it's Sunday today, professor," she explained.

"It is Sunday today. However, I felt that we had to start the detentions as soon as possible. Rest assured that you will be free next Sunday. That will be all for today, Miss Granger," he said and returned to reading her essay before she had even left the room.

-----

"Hermione!," Ron exclaimed the second she entered the Gryffindor common room. His loud voice made everyone turn their heads to look at her.

Hermione made her way over to Ron and Harry, who were playing Wizard's Chess. When she sat down next to them and began to talk in a hushed voice everyone went back to what they were doing before she came.

"Where've you been the last two hours?," Harry asked curiously.

"I've been studying in the library," she was suprised at how easily the lie slipped of her tongue. Hermione was not very familiar with lying, after all.

"Don't try that, we've been there to look for you," Ron said suspiciously. "So, where've you really been? You can tell us everything, you know." He tried to sound comforting but failed completely.

"I...well. Umm, there's something I've got to tell you. You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?," she said and ran a hand through her hair nervously.

The two boys looked at her in a mixture of curiosity and compassion. They nodded.

"Uh...ok. IwentouttoHogsmeadelastnightandnowI'vegotdetentionfortherestoftheyear," she blurted out.

"Did you hear, Harry? Would you mind saying it again?," Ron asked sheepishly.

"I said I went out to Hogsmeade last night and now I've got detention for the rest of the year".

"'Mione!," Harry exclaimed and once again everyone in the room stared at her.

"Keep your voice down, please," Hermione begged him.

"Why? We would've wanted to go as well. You know we've been talking about sneaking out to Hogsmeade for ages, why didn't you tell us you were going?," Ron sounded disappointed.

Harry just looked at her weirdly.

"I...I don't know. And I totally regret it. You're lucky you didn't go. I'll be serving detention six days a week."

"That's why you're not Head girl anymore, isn't it?," Harry asked and raised an eyebrow.

"Umm yes," she admitted.

"I can't believe you lied to us!," Ron muttered.

"I'm sorry, okay? I was embarrassed".

"Friends don't lie to eachother," Harry said and looked down.

"Why can't you guys respect my private life? Do I really have to tell you every single thing that goes on in my life?," she snapped and rose.

"That's a rahter important thing and you know it," Harry stated.

"Well, now you know!," Hermione mumbled and ran up to her room. She knew she was being unfair, it was just that she could not cope with telling them all about it. Her life was just so completely different to the life they thought she lived. They would probably hate her if she told them about her real self.

Sleep did not come easily to Hermione that night, even though she was completely exhausted. Harry and Ron kept haunting her in her thoughts and she felt really bad about not telling them. After some hard thinking she decided that she was going to apologize first thing in the morning.

-----

Monday morning came quickly and Hermione found herself in the common room, waiting for Harry and Ron to get up. When they hadn't shown up after 20 minutes she decided that they had probably overslept so she went to check their room. The dormitory was empty except for a very sleepy Seamus Finnegan.

Hermione found the boys in the dining hall, having breakfast as if nothing had happened. She sat down at her usual spot and tried to act as normal as possible, even though it was evident that they were avoiding her.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Friends?," Hermione finally said, despondently.

"Glad you realised," Ron muttered.

Harry looked up for the first time that morning and smiled at her.

"Apology accepted," he mumbled with his mouth full of food.

"Fine," Ron agreed. "Just promise to let us know the next time you're going out, okay?,".

"I promise," Hermione smiled happily. She felt very relieved as she hated to argue with her two best friends.

Suddenly the headmaster rose and everyone went quiet.

"Good morning! Firstly, I'm glad to see that all of our new students are settling in so well. Secondly, there is an announcement that I'm going to make. The staff has decided that we will have a ball on Saturday evening, for everyone in year three and upwards".

All the students in year one and two sighed heavily.

"I know you all want to go but I feel this is for the best. The ball is compulsory for all students in year three and upwards, as there will be another activity for the younger years going on in the castle. Your heads of houses will let you know all about it tonight. Have a nice day!," Dumbledore said and sat down again.

As usual when the headmaster had made an announcement, everyone began chattering loudly.

"That's awesome," Ron said cheerfully.

"Yeah, and we won't even have to find dates!," Dean Thomas joined in.

Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly worried at the thought of a ball. A ball meant that there would be alcohol, as students always spiked the drinks. She knew that she would never be able to keep herself from drinking if she attended the ball. However she had no choice, as it was compulsory.

_Don't forget to click that sexy blue button. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi guys! Huge thanks to those of you who reviewed, I really am grateful. If you have any suggestions, don't hesitate to tell me... enjoy! _

The day passed by without any further occurrences and it was already 2 p.m.. Potions with Slytherin was the only class that remained. Hermione found herself actually looking forward to the lesson, as she was very satisfied with the essay they had had for homework. There was something else too, but she couldn't quite figure it out.

The lesson was rather uneventful as Neville Longbottom, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had not managed to get into Potions N.E.W.T.s. Hermione was, as usual, the one who was done first. Snape cast a brief glance at her potion, only to see that it was indeed correct.

"For Wednesday I want you to continue working on the assignment I gave you last week. Miss Granger, stay behind. Class dismissed," The Potions professor finished off and watched everyone but a certain student leave the classroom.

"Professor?," Hermione asked carefully, while fidgeting on her hair.

"You will have detention tonight with Professor McGonagall in her office at 7 p.m. However, I expect you to be in my office at 9 p.m. to leave a bloodsample. This includes all evenings. We have to make sure that you don't fall back into the trap, now, haven't we?," Snape said mockingly. He eyed her closely to see her reaction. It was obvious that something was bothering her.

"Yes, Sir. Umm, look, there's this ball on Saturday... and...well," Hermione didn't quite know what to say.

"I am very well aware of that. As the ball is compulsory, your detention will be cancelled," he said in a bored voice. "Now, if that's all, I'd rather be left in peace,".

"There will be alcohol. I don't trust myself with it. If I am to leave a blood sample that night, well, I'm not sure it would be negative. I was wondering if I could be excused from the ball, Sir," Hermione said.

"Miss Granger, am I correct in believing that you would rather have detention with me than attend the ball?," Snape raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Sir," Hermione replied and looked at the floor.

"Very well then. You are dismissed," he said expressionlessly and watched her leave the room. He felt compassion for the girl. Her childhood had been nothing like a normal child's, at least not in the Wizarding world. He found himself wondering how she felt about her life. If she was satisfied or perhaps she was disappointed in herself. It was obvious that she was mature beyond her years, excluding her lack of confidence. After all, it was not uncommon that the brightest students were also the ones dug too deep into the world of destruction. Their thirst for knowledge also included trying out other things, such as drugs. He just hoped that Hermione hadn't dug too deep.

Snape's left arm ached and he groaned slightly. He felt the battle approaching. He knew it wouldn't be long until they all had to face the most powerful wizard of all times. He was also aware that they were anything but ready. There were so many people out there that had no idea what was about to happen. They had no idea of how cruel the Dark Lord really was.

------

Hermione was exhausted when she returned to the Gryffindor tower that night. Her head of house had been really disappointed in her and scolded her for about half an hour. The remainder of the detention had consisted of cleaning all the desks in the Trasfigurations classroom. Her meeting with Snape after the detention had been pretty much the same as they day before, except that it was a bit formal between the today.

As the fatigue had overcome her, Hermione did not notice that her dormitory was full of boys, until one of them addressed her.

"'Mione! Do you want to join us? We're playing this game, it's awesome!," Ron mumbled.

"How did you guys get in here?," she asked curiously and joined the circle on the floor.

Around ten boys and girls, all Gryffindors, were sitting in a circle on the floor. In the middle there were a large bottle of firewhiskey as well as wands, which were connected to some kind of box. All the lights were turned out and the room was pitch dark except for a few candles floating in the air. There was some rock music playing quietly in the background and everyone was rather quiet, as they did not want to get caught.

"Well, we found a secret passage," Seamus grinned. "Anyway, do you wanna play? It's called 'I've never...' and it's like a person says, for example, 'I've never had a drink' and those who have had a drink take a sip of the firewhiskey. And to ensure that nobody's lying, our wands are conntected in a truth spell,".

"Fine, I'll play," she decided. Hermione had in fact played this game many times before during summer. She handed her wand to Seamus, who whispered some words and connected her wand to the spell.

"Okay, I'll go first," Lavender declared loudly. It was obvious that she'd already had a lot to drink. "I've never...had a drink during a Hogsmeade weekend," she took a large sip of the whiskey and then handed it over to Dean, who had his hand raised. He then passed the bottle to Ron, who looked at Hermione with eyes wide open. Apparently he had not expected that she would raise her hand. After everyone but Neville had drunk of the fire whiskey, Harry declared it was his turn.

"I've never smoked a cigarette," he whispered and took a sip of the whiskey.

This time, only five hands were raised, including Hermione's.

Hermione was getting rather bored, the whiskey was too weak and the statements were silly.

"I've never smoked weed," Parvati said and looked around the room. She gaped as she noticed Hermione reluctantly raising her hand. Seamus and Dean also raised their hands.

Hermione hadn't wanted to raise her hand, but the spell had forced her to. She cursed silently as she took a large sip of the whiskey before handing it to Seamus.

Ron looked at her weirdly, one eye brow raised. He seemed surprised, yet curious.

Hermione felt the familiar sense of alcohol running through her body and she truly cherished the feeling. However, she felt slightly disappointed in herself, for not being able to stay away from alcohol for more than a week. Oh, how she hoped that Snape wouldn't find traces of alcohol in her blood tomorrow.

"I've never had sex," Ginny said and grimaced as she drank of the whiskey. Almost everyone in the room raised their hands, including Neville.

"I've never been out partying all night," Hermione said softly and took a large sip of the whiskey. She really had to learn how to stop drinking. Ginny, Parvati and Dean drank of the fire whiskey.

"Guys, this is boaring," the former head girl complained. "I'm going to bed," she announced. "Would you mind moving to the boy's dormitory?," she asked.

Dean rose and mumbled something. He walked over to Hermione and embraced her before kissing her lips roughly.

Hermione pushed him away and glared at him. Ron stood up and looked as though he was ready to slap Dean in the face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?," she snapped at him.

"Well, seeing as you've done almost everything, this wouldn't be anything for you, now would it, 'Mione?," Dean sneered in a most unusual way.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I did those things because I wanted to and I certainly don't wish to kiss you, Dean," Hermione said cooly before exiting the room.

She kept walking until she reached a dead end, which happened to be the Astronomy tower. It was one of the few places in Hogwarts that she didn't really fancy, hence she turned to walk back to the Gryffindor tower. If only she were able to walk straight.

"Miss Granger," a dark voice said as he approached her.

Hermione turned around to meet the eyes of Professor Snape.

_Don't forget to click that blue button xxx_


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi everyone, I'm really sorry for such a late update, but I've been really busy with school as always. Also, I found it very hard to find a suitable ending for this "chapter". I really enjoy reading you reviews, however long or short they are. Thank you so much for taking your time to click that sexy blue button. **

**Artemis Eureka:** lol sorry, I didn't mean for it to be a cliff hanger, it's just that I prefer my chapters to be around 2 A4 pages (or otherwise you'd have 1 update/year).

**Megan Consoer:** thank you, I really am trying to write more often, it's just that I don't have the time to.

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**Villafoo:** Oh yes, she already is.

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Snape was surprised. It did not happen often, which is why he was astonished beyond belief when it happened. However, it was not like he was displaying any of it. After all, he was a very private man. He could not for his life figure out how Potter's clever sidekick had become the one she was right now. There was a young woman in front of him. A woman with opinions and suggestions. Who was looking at him with shifty-eyes. True, he had been surprised when he had found her drunk and high the other day in Hogsmeade. Despite that, he could not understand why she had broken the rules a second time, so soon, after strictly being told to do otherwise. Oh, how he wanted to know what was going on inside her head that very moment. There she was, sitting in front of him acting like nothing had happened. He assumed it was the alcohol. Because of the darkness it was impossible for him to see her face clearly, but he had a pretty good idea of how it looked like. His office felt even more uncomfortable than usual, it was way too dark for a conversation of the kind he was about to have. He lit a few more candles that floated carelessly in the air along the walls. Much better, he decided. As he thought of the best way to approach his student, he finally settled on giving her a potion for the alcohol. Talking to a drunk student would not do. He handed her a small vial and watched her drink it. Now all he had to do was talk. The only problem was, he could not cope with the indifference that met his eyes. He had expected her to show at least the slightest bit of concern. That was unfortunately not the case. A muted sigh escaped his lips.

"Miss Granger, I hope you are aware of why you are here," Snape initiated the conversation.

"Forgive me, Sir, but I am not," Hermione replied almost cheekily. She was sick of it already.

"Ah, perhaps it is me who should apologise. I was not aware that the rules concerning alcohol consumption had been changed. Tell me, are students allowed to drink alcohol?," The professor said sardonically. He too, was tired of it all.

"Let's skip the formalities, professor, shall we? You told me that if I had alcohol once more, I would get expelled. Well, I have. Shall I go pack my things?,". Her eyes were blank.

"The cheekiness is not becoming, Miss Granger," Snape said cooly. "Even though I am surprised that you could not go two days without alcohol, I did expect you to break the rules again. However, I find it strange that you were walking the corridors after curfew, drunk. Did something happen that made you feel the need to go for a walk?," he asked with equal, if not more, indifference.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Hermione said very softly and looked into his eyes. "But I can't stand talking about my private life with someone who just wants to know because it's his duty,".

"Miss Granger, even though I do respect that, it is still my duty to talk to you about it. Tell me about it and I will refrain from expelling you," he offered.

"Fine. As far as you promise not to deduct any housepoints if it would turn out that we were breaking any rules,".

"You have my word. Tell me the story now," he said impatiently, piercing her with his eyes.

"When I got back to my dorm, its was filled with boys. I think there was about ten of us. They were playing this game, 'I have never'. It's...,".

"I know it," Snape interrupted and gestured for her to continue.

"Well, they had this bottle of whiskey. The statements they said were so...silly. I had done most of those things before fifth year".

Snape rolled his eyes and looked at her almost mockingly.

"I got to drink everytime and when I had taken the first sip, I wanted more. It got boring. I told them that I was going to bed and asked them to leave the room. Dean stood up and tried to kiss me. When I pushed him back, he told me that...well he said that considering all the things I have done, a kiss wouldn't matter to me. He had, well... Some of the statements were 'I have never smoked weed' and 'I have never had sex'. Most of them, all of them in fact, didn't know that I had done both things. I think they were a bit shocked. I told him that I had done those things because I wanted to and then I left and that's when I met you, professor," Hermione finished off. She looked at him questioningly and wondered what he would say. The indifference she felt scared her.

Snape felt anger rise inside him when he listened to her story. He did not like the thought of someone forcing themselves on his student. The nonchalance in her voice baffled him.

"That is not acceptable behaviour from Mr. Thomas, do tell me if he tries anything again. I will turn a blind eye at the alcohol," Snape said sternly. "Miss Granger, you do not seem to realize that you have to stop drinking. I am disappointed in you for giving up so easily,".

For some unknown reason those words hurt Hermione. She felt her shoulders tense and she felt very uncomfortable.

"You will not hear me say this again, but I do not want to expel you, Miss Granger. If you just tried, you would leave Hogwarts with a set of excellent N.E.W.T.s. It is really ungrateful of you to just turn your back on the talent you have. You have to pull yourself together for God's sake. This can't go on, do you realize that?," he asked sharply.

"Yeah, I guess. But why do you care, professor?," she retorted dryly.

"I don't," he said emotionlessly. "As you pointed out earlier, it is my duty," Snape said. He knew he lied to himself and to her when he said those words but it wouldn't do to have a student believe that he had a soft side.

Once again, Hermione was hurt by a few words. At that moment, she felt truly alone. She decided to take a chance.

"That was the most hurtful thing you could ever say," Hermione said softly. She stood up, straigtened her back and turned to exit the room.

"Miss Granger, sit down!," Snape said quietly but sharply. There was something in his voice that made almost everyone obey him. Apparently this Gryffindor was not one of them.

Hermione stopped and turned around to face him. Her face was cold and emotionless.

"Why can't you just expel me so I can get the hell out of here and be with my friends?," she asked with coldness evident in her voice. "There isn't anything left for me here anymore. Can't you just let me go, please?,".

"I will not tell you one more time, sit down," Snape ordered.

This time Hermione obeyed. She did, however, sit down on the floor. With her back against the wall she eyed him closely for a few seconds.

"If it were not for the fact that I have assigned you various detentions already, you would just have earned one," the professor said sourly.

"Then deduct housepoints," Hermione muttered.

"Seeing as you would not care if I did, that would be pointless," he replied in a bored voice.

Snape walked around his desk and leaned on it on the other side while eyeing his student carefully. Her robes had slid up a bit along her leg and they were only covering the upper half of her thigh. He could not help but feel a strong urge to see more. Silently, he cursed himself and made sure that he did not blush.

"Can I go?," Hermione asked.

"No, you may not," Snape snapped. "Sit down on the chair," he said in a nicer voice. "I believe you have some information to share. I am going to ask you some questions which I expect you to answer. You are free to leave at any time but if you do, you will have to reveal the information to either me or Madame Pomfrey eventually, so there is really no point in running away. Is that clear?,".

"I'm not going to run away, professor. Despite what you may think, Sir, I'm not _that_ childish. Fire away," Hermione said daringly and sat down on the chair Snape had gestured at.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone! Thank you so so much for your reviews, they mean everything to me. Honestly. Oh, by the way, I know Hermione's acting a bit weird in the middle of this chapter, but I'm trying to make her more equal to Snape. As there will be a relationship between them later on, I figured I had to make them sort of equal first as I'm not very fond of teacher-student love relationships (anymore). **

**As I always write the chapters after songs that has inspired me I figured I might as well tell you which song each chapter was inspired by. I got the idea of this one from Brendan Benson – Them & Me and The Raconteurs – Steady As She Goes. **

**Please keep reviewing, I'm sorry I don't have time to reply to your reviews right now, but I will next time I post, I promise. Thanks for reading, xxx**

"I'm not going to run away, professor. Despite what you may think, Sir, I'm not _that_ childish. Fire away," Hermione said daringly and sat down on the chair Snape had gestured at.

"I need to set some things straight, are your parents aware of your alcohol and drug consumption?," Snape asked seriously.

"They'd go crazy if they knew about the drugs," she replied honestly. "They know that I drink, but not really how much,".

"What about your relationship with Artory?," he questioned.

"They didn't know about it. They'd totally freak out if they knew that I'd been dating a 35 year old man," she said quietly and fumbled with her hair.

"Most parents would. How much of all this do your friends know?," Snape asked.

Hermione finally decided that she was tired of acting like someone she wasn't. Playing nervous all the time was not something she enjoyed. After all, she was not a nervous little school girl anymore. Faking nervousness is actually rather boring. She had already shown him the real her when she had wanted to leave the room earlier that evening, so it didn't matter anymore, she decided.

"They know about my trip to Hogsmeade but that's about it. And of course the information I shared with them earlier this evening," she replied.

Snape carefully contemplated the information he was intaking. As he sat down on his chair, he realized that he liked this new side of her. It was apparent to him that this was the real her. Obviously, the Mary Sue person was just a charade. At least she played it well, he thought amusedly. He removed his coat and allowed it to hang loosely on his backboard. While still keeping eye contact with his student, he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt so that he felt more comfortable. Why he even allowed himself to look this relaxed in front of a student, he did not know. Perhaps he felt the need to bare some parts of himself as she was telling him the story of her life. Perhaps it was because he felt relaxed in her presence. Whatever the reason was, he did not wish to know. He conjured a glass of water for himself and offered his student the same but she rejected his offer.

"Is this your first relationship with someone who is," he chose his words carefully. "someone who is twice your age?," he asked.

"Yes, it is my first relation ship with someone, who is, as you so nicely put it, 'twice my age'," she retorted dryly. "I have, however, had two relationships with guys over 20,".

"I see. When did you lose your virginity and to who?,".

Hermione frowned at the question but chose not to comment on it. She did not understand his reasons for interrogating her like this, but she was certain he had some pretty good ones.

"Fourth year at Hogwarts. The guy was a seventh-year Slytherin called Patrick Cavendish. And before you say anything about Viktor Krum, let me clear one thing, I was not in love with him. He was only a cover for Patrick, whom I was in a relationship with for a few months," Hermione explained.

"Ah, yes I know Patrick. Quite a brilliant scholar, he was. You may be interested in knowing that he ran away from his parents three weeks after graduation because he did not want to join Voldemort. Fortunately, he had a muggle cousin in South Africa, so that is where he has lived ever since. I believe he is doing quite well at a university there,".

"Thanks for telling me that," she replied softly and looked straight into his eyes. They took her by surprise, as she had not expected to find that curiousness and kindness had replaced the ususal malice. Not even his face held his usual sternness. "Next thing you'll probably ask what sex positions I prefer," Hermione joked and laughed at the sight of his surprised face.

Snape cursed himself inwardly for letting the surprise show. It was evident that she had seen it. He promised himself that it would not happen again.

"I was joking, you know," the Gryffindor gave him a small smile, filled with nothing but kindness. There was not a trace of mocking in her voice.

The smile she sent him made him even more confounded. He was not comfortable with someone being at such ease around him. It made him feel like he had lost control.

"Miss Granger, hold your tongue or you will serve all your detentions with Filch," Snape said warningly. Somehow he felt himself regret those words the moment they had escaped his mouth. He realized that for some reason he would miss her company if she spent all her detentions with Filch.

Hermione just smiled knowingly but kept quiet. She did not feel like excusing.

"There is one more serious thing that I must know. Did anything that you did not want happen to you during your childhood? Abuse for example," He said slowly while piercing her with his eyes.

"Except for the occasional rape? No, I wouldn't say so," Hermione said seriously. Once again she had caught her professor off guard. He looked truly terrified. She touched his right arm carefully and smiled softly as he looked into her eyes. "I was just joking, professor. I know one is not to joke about such things but what else to joke about in this deadly serious conversation?," she said gently.

Snape still looked sort of amazed and he could not for his life figure out why she had just touched him. Most people feared being in the same room as him, let alone be close him.

"Really. Sir, I was not raped. No, I have never been abused. Most of the time, I am the abusive type rather than the abused one, you see,".

"That seems more likely. Miss Granger, what would make you stop drinking? You know as well as I do that the war is approaching. We certainly do not want to have other issues to deal with then, such as your drinking issue. Therefore I would prefer if we could just solve this problem straight away," Snape said assertively.

"I know. I want to be able not to drink but it's hard," she said honestly. "I've read that there is a potion that you're supposed to take when you feel the urge to drink, you don't happen to have it? Sir," she asked hopefully.

"You Gryffindors, always making your problems someone else's," he replied dryly but there was the slightest hint of amusement in his voice. "I don't happen to have any at the moment and I really do not have the time to brew it, with all your detentions," he said.

"I understand that. I know that students are not allowed to buy all of the contents, that's why I asked you, Sir. What if I brew the potion under your supervision during my detentions. It would only take three days or so to make. Please, Sir. It would really help," she begged.

Snape considered her suggestion for a few moments. He figured that there was no real reason for him not helping her. She was, after all, the brightest student Hogwarts had seen in years.

"I could make an exception. If the potion turns out to be undrinkable, you will not have another shot at it," Snape said.

"Thank you, Sir," Hermione said and smiled at her teacher.

"There is also another question that I want you to answer. You said earlier that you wanted to leave because you have nothing left here. What exactly do you mean by that, Miss Granger?," Snape asked. He was successful in hiding the curiosity from his voice.

"Professor, you know as well as I do that I haven't got any real friends here," she answered and tried to keep the boldness out of her voice.

"Are you tired of being Potter's little sidekick?," Snape said mockingly.

"You bet. Ron and Harry only hang out with me because I help them with their homework. They don't see me as anything else than a bookworm. You see, Sir, that there is no one here I can talk to. It's not like I have someone to share my secrets...," she interrupted herself as she realized what she was saying. Here she was, revealing all about herself, doing exactly what she said she wasn't.

Snape looked at her amusedly. He was surprised at her telling him so much. When he had asked her to reply to his questions he had expected very short answers. Apparently she needed someone to talk to. He was just astonished that he was that person.

"Can I go now?," Hermione asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes, Miss Granger. I will see you in class," Snape said while doing his best not to yawn.

"Goodnight, Sir," her soft voice said before leaving the room.

Snape watched her exit and massaged his temples. He really did have a lot on his mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's another chapter! Yay! I've written almost 2 more pages so it shouldn't take too long until the next one is posted... thanks for the reviews, i'm as grateful as ever!!! xxx**

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The following days had passed by quite smoothly. It was already Saturday afternoon and everyone was getting ready for the ball. It had been raining all day, which meant that every single girl in the castle was panicking about her hair.

Hermione was sitting in the common room, reading a book about gender differences between Hippogriffs. In fact she was not really reading, she was thinking. In her opinion, the past couple of days had been quite pleasant. She had continued to leave blood samples every evening and they had all tested negative for alcohol. The only thing that bothered her was her lack of sleep. She had had trouble sleeping ever since the Saturday when she was caught and she had barely got four hours of sleep each night. Her detentions had been anything but horrible, as she had brewn an inredibly challenging potion and been succesful in doing it. In fact, she had even had a rather enjoyable conversation with her potions professor the day before about whether to test potions on cats or not. The relaxed side of him that she had seen since that Monday night had come to stay, it seemed. Still, he was the same in classes though. After all, that was to be expected as he was a very professional teacher. Hermione could not help but feel herself become attracted to the new side of her professor. She had always liked men in suits, especially those with dark hair. It was also obvious to her that he posessed a very muscular body under those layers of clothing. Her gut feeling told her that he felt something for her too, although she did not really think so. At least he was interested in getting to know her, that was obvious. She watched people run through the room, borrowing things from each other. In fact, she was rather happy about not going to the ball. Fun was not a word she connected with her 'friends', at Hogwarts, anyway. A ball gown was not her favourite choice of clothes, after all. This night she was dressed in muggle attire instead of her usual Hogwarts robes. She had thrown on a pair of jeans, red ballerina flats, a white tank top and a thin, black cardigan. Time was approaching 7 p.m. so Hermione decided to leave for the dungeons. Ron called for her on her way out but she pretended she hadn't heard him.

-----

A certain Gryffindor student had made Snape think more of a person than he had done in ages. She intrigued him, that was for sure. No matter how much he tried, he could not understand her. When he thought he knew something about her personality, she proved the opposite. There was something about her that made him want to know more about her.

Snape served himself some brandy and he quickly downed most of it. He unfastened his outer robes and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as he felt much more comfortable in that attire. Then he heard a knock on the door. He quickly got rid of the glass with a simple spell and uttered his usual 'enter'. As he had expected, Miss Granger was in the doorway, dressed in some weird clothes that probably was muggle attire.

"Sit down, Miss Granger,". He nodded at the chair in front of his desk.

"Good evening, Sir,". Hermione complied and stared into his eyes with that intense gaze of hers. She crossed her legs and looked at her teacher expectantly.

"Miss Granger, I never wish to see you in that muggle attire again, is that clear?," he said sternly. In fact, he felt a bit disturbed with her being so relaxed in his prescence, that she even dared to dress in muggle clothes. On the other hand, was there anything that she did not dare to do or say?

Hermione was slightly amused at his order. She decided that her outfit must have been disturbingly casual in some unfathomable way.

"Yes, Sir," she replied in a bored voice. "May I ask why? There is no rule that forbids students from wearing muggle clothes after classes, as far as I am concerned. Sir,".

"I hardly think that outfit is suitable for any hard work that I might have you do during your detentions," Snape explained.

"Yes, professor," Hermione replied and pretended to suppress a yawn with her hand. "What am I going to do today? The potion only needs to simmer tonight. As I was excused from this detention at first, I shouldn't be forced to do any hard work today, should I?," she played.

"That is for me to decide," he said and decided to switch subjects. "How are things between you and your friends? Do you still want to leave Hogwarts?," he asked teasingly.

"Well, we're not exactly fine but it's not like they care. Nor do I. So it's fine. To be honest with you, Sir, yes, I'm rather sick of this monastery life," she joked and looked straight into his eyes. There was something with his eyes that made her want to look at them all the time.

Snape chuckled lightly. He pretended to give her a stern look but she just smiled knowingly.

Hermione removed her cardigan and let it fall to the floor without a second glance. All she could think about was what it would feel like to have her professor's graceful hands gently carressing her body. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts.

"I bet all the seventh years have drunk their heads off by now. At least the Slytherins," she smiled teasingly and watched him frown. There was a hint of jelousy in her voice.

"What makes you think that?," he asked curiously.

"Well, where do you think we get the alcohol from? The Slytherins provide everyone with it. I don't know how they get hold of it, but they can get pretty much anything," she explained.

"Most of them have servants at home who send it to them," he replied.

Snape eyed his student closely for a few seconds. He could tell she hadn't slept well lately. There were bags under her eyes, though he guessed most of them had been covered by make up. _Perhaps she's used a glamour charm too_, he mused.

"Let's be honest with eachother, shall we, Miss Granger?," Snape asked seriously. "Would you like a sleeping potion? I can tell you are not sleeping. How many hours of sleep do you get each night?,".

"I'm fine, honestly," she objected. "I sleep about six to seven hours each night,".

"No, you don't," Snape said emotionlessly. "I can tell,".

"I sleep about three or four hours each night," the Gryffindor replied in an edgy voice. "No, thank you, I do not want a sleeping potion. Since we are being so honest with eachother," she said dryly. "I may as well tell you that I am immune to all kinds of sleeping potions, as I was abusing them last year," she said softly.

"Why were you taking sleeping potions so regularly? Were you suffering from insomnia?," the teacher wondered.

"For a while, yes. For a few weeks I kept going for nightly walks and I suppose my body got used to not sleeping a lot. When I tried to go to sleep at 11 p.m. my body wouldn't fall asleep until 3 a.m., no matter what time I went to bed. That's when I started using sleeping potions. I couldn't sleep without them so I kept using them until I had developed an addiction. Unfortunately, immunity came with it. After a month or so without the sleeping potions, I started to sleep more. It's just the last week I haven't been sleeping well," she admitted.

"I understand. Is there anything I can do?," he offered.

"Not really. Look, I really appreciate you taking your time to talk to me. It's actually quite nice to have someone to talk to," Hermione said softly and looked into his eyes.

"You're welcome," Snape replied sternly but honestly. "I want you to know that I was not comfortable with asking you such private questions the other day. It was in fact the headmaster who wanted me to get a closer picture of what your life has been like so that I could understand you better in order to help you. Frankly, I still do not understand you one bit, Miss Granger," he said sardonically.

"It's okay. Well, you have to try much harder if you want to understand me...," Hermione said and smiled confidently. She rose and walked around the desk. "There's something I've wanted to do for a while," she murmured.

"And what is that, Miss Granger?," Snape said and challenged her with his eyes.

Hermione walked up to her teacher and straddled him when he opened his mouth to speak.

"Oh, shut up," she said and kissed him passionately.

**Please review!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey lovely readers! My computer had a breakdown so therefore this chapter was erased when I was almost finished with it. ****Also, I've had a crazy amount of essays to write in the past few weeks that I've hardly had any time for writing. I'm sorry this chapter is a bit short, the next one will hopefully be longer. Thank you so much for your reviews, I really do appreciate them. Let's beat the record, if I can get more than 13 reviews for a chapter! ;) **

**Have fun and take care,**

**xxxxx**

"Oh, shut up," she said and kissed him passionately.

Snape was in shock. He could not for his life understand why he was being kissed by his student. Something was definitely wrong about her. He felt himself begin to respond to her kiss. Her hands had already unbuttoned his shirt and she was now sliding her hands down his spine. He shivered under her touch.

"Not so fast, Miss Granger," Snape said in a deep voice as he gently broke the kiss. He lifted her off himself and placed her in front of him, on his desk.

"What is it? Don't try to tell me that you didn't like it," Hermione said smugly. She was perfectly aware of how he had reacted to her.

"What makes you think you can kiss me?," he challenged her.

"Honestly, professor, you were waiting to be kissed and I was happy to oblige," she explained and emphasised the word 'professor'.

"You think so, Miss Granger? Here I am, thinking you are the one who are yearning for my kisses," the Slytherin said and sneered.

"You got it all wrong, Sir," she said and smiled seductively.

"Oh, let's see, shall we?,".

Snape stood up and took a step forward. He pressed her slender body against him tightly and pressed his lips roughly against hers. The response came immediately as she began to deepen the kiss. He showed her an intensity that she had never seen before. He broke the kiss and looked at her expectantly. Hermione leaned forward, hoping to be kissed once more.

"Ah, there you go," he said and buttoned up his shirt.

"Sir, what shall...," she began but was soon interrupted.

"If you are playing around, Miss Granger, and I think you are, then I want you out of my office immediately," Snape said when he had regained his composure.

"You know as well as I do that I am not, as you delicately put it, 'playing around'. Don't you dare say that again," she warned icily.

Snape leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips and lingered for a moment or two. He smiled slightly at the sight of her astonished face and carressed her left cheek with his thumb.

"Miss Granger, I am not going to mention the fact that I am much older than you are, as I expect you to be aware of it. However, I would be abusing my authority as a teacher if I got involved with you," he said in that sexy british accent of his.

"You know I am used to get what I want," Hermione whispered seductively. "And right now, I want you,". She approached him and touched his cheek lightly.

"You are not going to get what you want this time, Miss Granger," Snape said coldly but on the inside, he was secretly flattered that his student desired him. He was not used to that kind of attention from women.

"Well, then I'll get it elsewhere," she said quietly and turned to leave.

Snape made no move to stop her.

-----

Hermione was in deep need to find someone whom she could occupy herself with. She knew that most students would be drunk by now, hence she expected that there would not be a problem. As she entered the Entrance Hall, she found her prey. He was a tall, dark-haired seventh year Slytherin who was actually rather sexy, in Hermione's opinion. The boy, named Steven Hung, was standing in a corner, talking to a few friends. Hermione was well aware of the fact that he had been having a crush on her for the past two years. Therefore she thought he shouldn't be that hard to get in bed. She approached him and slid an arm around his waist.

"Let's go somewhere else...", she whispered seductively.

Steven nodded and mumbled something to his friends. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into a corridor. After muttering a few words, a hidden door appeared and they entered a small, comfy room. There was only a small bed in the room and the room's purpose was evident. Hermione said a locking spell and lay down on the bed, waiting for him to join her. Five minutes later, they were both stark naked.

-----

Minerva McGonagall was tired. She had been supervising the ball all evening and she was in deep need of a good night's sleep. When glancing around the Great Hall for the millionth time that evening, she found that there were hardly any students left. As Minerva always liked to think of herself as an effective person, she found that she was horrified to find that she was wasting time. Therefore she decided to patrol the halls in case some students were up to no good. When exiting the Great Hall, she thought of some places that were wise to start with. There were quite a few known hidden rooms near the Entrance Hall and she was confident that she was going to find some students engaging in...certain forbidden activities. Thankfully the first two rooms were empty. However, in the third room she found two Hufflepuffs. She was grateful that they were doing nothing more than snogging. Even though it was her duty to make sure no students engaged in any rulebreaking activities, she did not enjoy catching them in the act, so to speak. She sent the students back to their common room with a warning, that next time she would not be so lenient. Minerva crossed the Entrance Hall and decided to check the corridor on the other side of the room. She was horrified when she looked into the first room, after she said the password. In the room was her ex-favourite-student having sex with someone. When she saw the face of that someone her heart sank even deeper. It was a Slytherin. She put a real effort into making sure that she was not blushing before she addressed them.

"Miss Granger and Mr Hung, get dressed, I want you out of here right now. I will deduct 50 points for your irresponsible behaviour", Minerva said sternly and waited outside the room. She was surprised to see that the students didn't seem embarrassed at all. Instead they merely nodded and picked up their clothes.

"I'm sorry", Steven said the moment the door was closed. He fumbled with his clothes.

"I'm not", Hermione replied with a small smile. She buttoned her jeans and looked for her bra. In fact, she was rather happy that they were caught. That would mean that Snape would get to know of her having sex with someone else. Hopefully he would get jelous.

"Here", Steven said sheepishly and handed over her bra.

Five minutes later she was on her way back to her common room, feeling a bit sad. Oh, how she wished Snape would have complied earlier that evening.

**Don't forget to review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi again! Thank you for your reviews. ****Hopefully I will be able to post a new chapter within the next week but I am not certain, as I will not have access to a computer between Wednesday-Sunday. **

**SilverandSilent: Naturally I don't expect you to review when I don't update, I don't really know how you got that impression. Thanks for telling me about the anonymous reviews, I really didn't know about it. Also, thanks for the compliment. **

**The Gryffindor Drummer: Thanks! Well, my school finishes on Wednesday, but I'm already done with all the essays! ) finally! **

**Here goes,**

Snape was not in a good mood the next morning. He had barely got any sleep since he had been up until 3 a.m., looking for students. Or rather, hunting them. Around 3 a.m. every single student had finally gone to bed. As it was now Sunday, most students were still asleep, even though it was already 9 a.m. The very moment he entered the Great Hall, for breakfast, he found, to his great disappointment, that all of the teachers were there. As usual he had no luck. He walked up to his usual seat and sat down. It did not take long before he understood what the conversation was about.

"...can't believe how she's changed so much. I thought so much more of her. Perhaps something's happened, perhaps someone should talk to her", Madame Pomfrey suggested.

"I'm afraid it's too late. She is such a disappointment for Gryffindor. Really, I did expect more", Minerva said disapprovingly.

"Minerva, pray tell, who is the scapegoat of Gryffindor?", Snape asked teasingly, even though he already knew the answer.

"Hermione Granger. You will not believe me when I tell you what happened last night!", Minerva said. Contrary to popular belief, she was actually rather fond of gossiping. "I was patrolling the halls after the ball when I decided to look in the hidden rooms in the corridors next to the Entrance Hall", she said and paused to breahte. "In one of the rooms were Miss Hermione Granger with a Slytherin!", she exclaimed as though it was the worst thing that could ever happen. "Let's just say that I caught them...in the act, so to say".

Snape thought that his day could not get any worse. _Miss Granger did indeed mean what she said_, he thought miserably. He could not help but feel jelous at the thought of the Gryffindor with another man. The moment he thought those thoughts, he cursed himself silently. It is not appropriate, he kept telling himself, even though he knew he was lying to himself.

"Oh, really? Here I was thinking that all adolescents lived in celibacy", Snape replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes.

"Don't make fun of me", Minerva warned. "You know as well as I what Miss Granger was like before this summer. Naturally, I would not be surprised if I found any of your Slytherins engaging in such activities", she retorted sourly.

"What exactly are you implying?", he asked calmly.  
"Oh, please Severus. Everyone knows that you are a bit lenient when it comes to those aspects. After all, it is common knowledge that pure-bloods want to ensure their family's future which is why they encourage their children to take part in such activities".

"Minerva, you are pathetic. You may not have noticed, but Miss Granger is not your child".

Snape's voice was sharp as a dagger.

"Calm down, children. I am certain Miss Granger knows what is best for herself", the Headmaster cut in.

_You old fool_, Snape thought bitterly. For some reason he was not so hungry anymore.

"I am afraid I have to leave, as I have many papers to grade. Good day", Snape apologised and rose. He nodded to all the other teachers while deciding that he would order some breakfast from the houseelves on his way down to the dungeons.

"I'm sure you do, Severus", the Headmaster said and smiled at him.

-----

Hermione awoke quite late for once. In fact, most of her dorm-mates had already woken up. Lavender greeted her by shoving a pillow at her. Hermione sighed.

"Good morning, sleepyhead", Parvati exclaimed.

"Morning", Hermione replied and rubbed her eyes.

"Well, are you going to tell us? What exactly happened between you and Steven Hung? We heard McGonagall caught you. You're not punished are you?", Lavender asked impatiently.

Hermione sat up and yawned loudly. She smiled smugly as though she had just come up with the most brilliant idea.

"Well, we had some fun", she laughed and enjoyed the other's glances. "But really, there are Slytherins who are better in bed".

All the girls in the room looked at her with huge eyes. The oh-so-boring bookworm had obviously turned out to be the most interesting girl of them all.

"Hermione! I never thought you liked to have sex! Which ones of the Slytherins have you shagged?", Parvati asked boldly.

"I think it'd be more wise to ask which ones I haven't", she replied and tittered.

"I think Malfoy's the best one, don't you agree? He's quite the stallion", Lavender smiled as though she recalled a pleasant memory.

"Well, yes, but he's really nothing compared to Patrick Cavendish," Hermione smiled back.

"Oh, isn't he the one who we were all crazy about in fourth year?,"

"That's right".

"Whoa! You know, we never believed you to be so _fun_", Lavender admitted and the other girls in the room nodded sheepishly.

Hermione just smiled back. She was well aware of how long it would take until the entire school knew about her made up sexlife. In fact, the only boys at Hogwarts she had shagged were Patrick and Steven. However, she knew that the other boys would not dare to say that they hadn't shagged her, out of fear for being seen as a geek. She certainly looked forward to when everyone would find out the truth. All of a sudden a note appeared in her lap. She quickly unfolded it.

_I believe you forgot something in my office. _

Hermione instantly knew that the note was from Snape. She thought for a few moments before she remembered her cardigan. Ten minutes later she had taken a shower and dressed in a gray, pleated wool skirt, a white t-shirt and a red cardigan. She bid her friends goodbye and headed towards the dungeons.

-----

The Potions Professor had not expected his student to arrive within the next hour, hence he was still eating his breakfast when there was a knock on the door. With a flick of his wand, everything but the cup of tea was gone.

"Enter", he called and watched her step through the entrance.

"Good morning, Sir", Hermione said softly and walked up to his desk.

"Miss Granger", Snape replied politely and nodded to her.

"I came to pick up my cardigan", she said and sit down. It was obvious that she had no intention of leaving when she had fetched her cardigan. "How are you?".

Apparently that was not a question that Snape had expected as he looked terribly surprised.

"I am fine, thank you. How about you, Miss Granger? I heard about your nightly escapade with Mr Hung", Snape said flatly. There was nothing funny in the way he spoke.

"Yes, I believe everyone did. I'm fine thanks", she replied carelessly.

"Your cardigan is over there", he said and gestured at a hanger on the wall.

"Thank you, Sir", Hermione replied but made no move to stand and get it.

They were silent for a few minutes before Hermione composed herself and spoke.

"Professor, I am not going to apologise for kissing you yesterday. I liked it. I'm sure you did too. Nor am I going to apologise for having sex with someone else. However, I can tell you that I only did it to avenge you, since you turned me down. Don't say anything", she said as she saw him opening his mouth to speak. "The thing is, I like you. You may believe I am just looking for a bit of fun, but I really am not. You see, Sir, I don't fall in love that often. You are the third person that I really fancy. I may like to have fun and play around with people, but that's only when I'm not in a relationship", she paused to breahte. "Sir, you know as well as I do that there is no rule at Hogwarts that forbids a student and a teacher from having a relationship, as far as the student is of age. If you tell me that you don't like me, that's fine, then I'll just walk away. Before you ask me what I see in you, let me tell you one thing. I find you physically attractive and I admit that I find your mind appealing. I can tell you have a dark sense of humour and I like it. There you go. Now it's up to you", Hermione finished off her little speech and looked at him expectanly. She crossed her legs.

"Miss Granger, thank you for your honesty. If I am going to be equally honest, I have to say that you don't know me", he said and watched her smile back at him. "However, what you do know is that I am not going to stand up and sweep you off your feet and kiss you. I am never going to be like that and I think you are aware of that". He paused and watched her nod, before continuing in the same indifferent voice. "My reply is that I am interested in getting to know you better".

"Thank you", she said softly. "Would you mind going somewhere for brunch?".

"I believe I would like that very much indeed".

Hermione knew she had won. She always did.

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi there readers!! I hope you all h****ad a lovely summer, my summer was absolutely perfect. I apologize (as usual) for the way too late update but I've been very busy, I'm moving to England in a week and therefore I haven't really had time for anything lately. Thank you so much for reading and even greater thanks to those of you who review. Also, I would be very, very grateful if you would tell me if there is any grammatic faults that I keep doing. **

**Thank you,**

**xxxx**

The odd couple flooed to a tiny restaurant somewhere in England. It was an elegant, yet relaxed restaurant with three tables. Hermione instantly saw the charm that her professor saw in the restaurant. The room was tastefully decorated in warm colours. Snape talked to the maître d' and they were ushered to a nice table in the back of the restaurant where they could talk in private. He pulled out her chair when they sat down.

"Call me Hermione, I never liked Granger", she said and smiled. Sometimes she really did love living.

"Since you are already so relaxed around me I am surprised that you keep calling me Professor. It's Severus to you", he offered, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"True", she said and smiled. "You don't mind me asking a few questions, do you? After all, you do know practically anything about me...".

"That I doubt. Fire away", he said after ordering coffee and tea.

"Do you have any siblings?", Hermione asked. She leaned forward, put her elbows on the table and tilted her head questioningly.

"A brother called Archibald. Unfortunately we did not grow up together as he was raised with my aunt for unknown reasons. He settled down in France a few years ago but we keep in touch", Severus replied. He surprised himself with the sudden candidness.

"What about your parents?".

"My mother was a follower of Voldemort before I was born. She killed my father when I was ten years old", he responded curtly, as though he wanted to make it clear that he was not going to say more on the subject.

"Where did you grow up?".

"Just outside a small village in Derbyshire".

"For how long have you worked at Hogwarts?".

"Almost ten years".

"How often do you attend those meetings?", the Gryffindor asked in a serious voice. "You know which meetings I mean".

"That is none of your concern", he replied and turned to the waiter. "Tea for me, please, and coffee for the young lady".

"How did you know I don't drink tea?", Hermione asked curiously when the waiter had left.

"Let's just say that I pay attention to my students", he said with a tiny smile.

"I am impressed. Most students believe you are trying to stare them down or frighten them to death when you look at them", she said sweetly.

"Well, then I am very fortunate that you are not like 'most students'".

They very silent for a few minutes, sipping their drinks. For the first time both of them were relaxed in each other's prescence.

"Hermione", he began and let her name hang in the air for a few seconds. "I don't know what you are expecting me to say or do, nor do I know what you think this will lead to. I hardly know you and you know even less about me", Snape said matter-of-factly.

"Well, just be yourself. If that means yelling at me, I'm fine with it", she said confidently and squeezed his hand under the table. "I'm really not that complex actually. It just seems so. As you may have noticed, I like being up late and going to bed at 6 in the morning. I love to dance but I really can't sing. I hate sports, especially Quidditch. I love sex. I used to have a small eating disorder but I'm almost over it now. I'm into muggle literature, though I detest classics like Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I'm very loyal to people I like. My parents separated when I was three years old and got back together three years later. I speak german fluently. My biggest fear is to be economically dependent of a man. That's me".

"How come you speak german?", he asked curiously.

"My best friend, when I was a child, was German. Since I spent almost every day with him, most of the time at his place, I learnt German. His parents hardly spoke any English. Do you speak any other languages than English?".

"I see. As a matter of fact, I do. I speak German, French and Arabic fluently. I am also quite familiar with Italian though my speaking skills are far worse than my comprehensive skills".

"How come you speak all those languages?".

"My aunt is German and she could hardly speak any English at all, which is why I had to learn German. I studied in Tunisia, therefore I speak Arabic".

The remainder lunch went by smoothly and all Hermione could think about was what it would feel like to have Snape's fine hands caress her body. As the restaurant got more crowded by the minute, they decided it was about time they flooed back to Hogwarts. By then, Hermione had already made up her mind. Therefore she almost dragged Snape out of the fireplace when they arrived in Snape's office. A moment later, they were kissing as though there was no tomorrow. Snape seemed a bit confused at first but it didn't take long until his hands were under her shirt. They were both so absorbed by themselves that they hardly noticed how they got to the floor. Suddenly they were wearing nothing but their underwear. Snape then broke the kiss and gently shifted himself and Hermione up to a sitting position, against the wall. He put an arm around her shoulders as to show her that he was not pushing her away. Hermione leaned on his shoulder and enjoyed intaking his scent. He smiled slightly when he saw their clothes in a mess on the floor.

"Why did you stop?", The Gryffindor asked curiously. For the first time she took a look at his body. Needless to say, she was not disappointed. Despite the scars that covered his torso, his skin was very fine and soft. It was obvious that he worked out a few hours every week, for his body was very well-shaped. She put her hand on his stomach and teased him by moving her hand over his mandom, though never slipping her hand inside his underwear.

"Because I really don't fancy having sex on this cold, stone floor", he said and smirked at her. One of his hands rested on her thigh and slowly worked its way up, along the inside.

"Yet you keep teasing me", she smiled.

"I don't know what you are talking about", Snape replied innocently and kept caressing the outside of her knickers. However, a few playful moments later he pulled away. "We have to go or people will start wondering where we are", he said sadly.

"True. When can I see you again?", she asked as she rose.

"I don't know", he replied honestly. "I have to patrol the halls tonight", he said and stood up.

"Very well, I'll keep you company. Astronomy tower at midnight?", she suggested while dressing.

"I shall see you there, Hermione", he said and expected her to leave as she was now fully dressed, while he was still wearing nothing but his underwear.

"Oh, I'm not done with you yet", she said sharply and kneeled in front of him. Before he had any time to react, she had pulled down his underwear and started giving him pleasure. The normally composed Slytherin was now at a loss for words and seemed uncapable of saying anything. Only minutes later she sensed he was about to come and since she did not want to swallow it, she stood up. She embraced him tightly and felt him respond.

Snape felt rather odd but embraced the new feeling. He pulled her hair behind her ears and kissed her gently.

"Before I forget, don't be surprised if you hear some rumours about me shagging practically every single boy in Hogwarts...", Hermione whispered in his ear.

"Why is that?", he asked curiously, running his hands through her long hair.

"Well, I figured it'd be kind of fun to tell everyone the truth in a week or so. Just to show people how easy a rumour is spread".

"I see. By the way, have you been drinking lately?", he asked.

"No, the potion really helped", she said and smiled. She was surprised that he sounded so concerned for her.

"Has Mr Thomas been giving you any more trouble?".

"Not at all, in fact, he seems to be avoiding me", Hermione replied thoughtfully.

"Good. I think... that I should get dressed", Snape suggested and gestured at his attire.

"I quite agree", she said and looked down at herself. "Not a word about this. I really don't want my future career to be ruined".

"What kind of man do you take me for?", he said and gazed questioningly at her.

"I don't know. I just don't", Hermione replied and smiled. She removed the distance between them and kissed him gently.

"That answer is good enough for me. Unfortunately, and very much to my displeasure, I have to ask you to leave now. Go straight to your room and fix yourself, you look a bit... dishevelled", he said and smiled warmly at her.

"Oh, you shut up. You don't look too well yourself", she said and pretended to slap him. "By the way, thank you for the brunch", she said and placed one last kiss on his lips.

"It was nothing. Though I can't say I saw you eating anything more than a few bits of melon", he replied and raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't feel any hunger for anything but you, to be honest.Well, if I didn't eat, I wouldn't look this healthy, now would I?", she said and looked down at her perfectly healthy body.

"True", he said to himself and watched her exit the room.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! I know it's been ages since the last chapters and I am truly sorry for it. There isn't really a good apology apart from the fact that I've been very busy at school. As is blocked at my school I was not able to post this a week ago, when I finished it, but I've got half term at the moment. I hope that some of you are still willing to read this one although I understand if you cannot be bothered to wait for the chapters. I hope you enjoy it. **

**xxx**

The afternoon went by in a blur for Hermione as her mind was very obviously distracted. Ron and Harry asked her not twice, but three times why she was so happy all of a sudden. She just smiled back at them, pretending not to have heard the question. As midnight approached, Hermione pretended to go to bed. Fifteen minutes before midnight, she left the Gryffindor Tower which was, thankfully, completely empty of people. The corridors were deserted which did not surprise Hermione, as she knew Snape had a habit of finding every single student who was out of bed. When she reached the Astronomy Tower she found that Snape was already there, waiting for her. He motioned for her to be silent and gestured for her to follow him. They walked side by side in silence for about two minutes, until they reached an old classroom. Snape made sure that the door was locked and placed a silence charm over the room while Hermione transfigured a chair into a large, comfortable sofa. Hermione immediately walked up to her teacher and was on her way to kiss him when he took her hand and led her to the sofa.

"I am glad you came, I won't deny it", he began in a soft voice. "But there is something you have to understand, this is the first time that I have ever neglected my duties as a teacher. I do not intend to make a habit out of it".

"That's okay. I know you have a reputation to maintain and I respect that," she said and leaned on his shoulder. "Did anyone ask you where you'd been this morning?".

"Only Albus. What about you?", he asked and ran a hand through her hair.

"Harry and Ron. I just told them you'd given me an extra detention".

"I see. Are you still not on good terms with them?".

"Not really", she admitted.

"You really should sort that out. However, I am not going to tell you what to do", Snape said and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

"I suppose you're right", she said.

"Of course I am", he said and smirked. He gently lifted her up and placed her in his lap. His hands slipped under her top and caressed her waist.

"That feels so good", she whispered.

"Good, because I'm not going to go any further tonight", he replied softly.

Hermione just nodded. She put one of her hands on one of his and directed it to her breasts but he moved it down.

"Hermione, I am tired", he began slowly. "And I don't want to do anything I might regret later".

"In terms of what?," she replied playfully.

"You know what I mean. I don't want us to move forward too quickly".

"It's alright. Let's talk instead. Tell me about your life at Hogwarts and after".

"Hermione, would you mind if we just relaxed?," he asked and placed her lying down on the sofa with her head in his lap.

Hermione nodded and looked into his eyes. Even though his face was as tense as usual, she could see that his eyes were smiling slightly at her. She noticed that he had very long, fine eyelashes and she wondered why she had never noticed them before. As she kept on eyeing his features she realized just how much he appealed to her. They were silent for a few minutes until Hermione broke the silence.

"You're very handsome," she said softly. She noticed that his face became as tense as it was when he was in public.

"Surely that is not true," he muttered in his deep, masculine voice. There was something in it voice that made it clear that he was not fishing for compliments.

"It is true in my opinion. I love your bone structure and the way you use your eyes to express your feelings. I love how I can feel that you are a man, and not a boy, when I touch you".

Snape smiled slightly at her last comment and told her that he would take what she said as a compliment he did not fully agree with. Hermione thought that that was probably the most satisfying answer he would give her and she therefore dropped the subject.

"Doesn't my age mean anything to you?" he asked curiously.

"Just one word: experience," she said and smiled cunningly at him.

"I see," he replied teasingly and caressed her collarbone.

Hermione shivered pleasantly under his touch and took it as a taste of what he was capable of.

"Don't tease me", she warned but her eyes held an amusing glance.

"Hermione, I am afraid I have to go, I have to patrol the halls. I will, however, send you a note tomorrow," Snape said and stood up.

Hermione rose as well and faced him. She ran a hand through his hair and rested the other one on his chest. After taking in his scent for a few moments, she did the top button of his shirt and placed a quick kiss on his lips. He responded by stroking her back, before turning around and leaving the room.

-----

The following weeks passed by in a blur for Hermione. She studied harder than ever before, determined to show Snape that she would not fall behind just because she was involved with him. As they were both very busy they did not have time to meet very often, there was only the occasional meeting in a deserted classroom in the middle of the night. When they met they rarely had time to exchange more than a couple of fleeting kisses and some caresses. Snape was adamant that they did not go any further than kissing and he was equally surprised every time she turned up to meet him. It was obvious that he was starting to feel quite a lot for Hermione but he tried not to show it. Hermione had indicated that she would not mind going a step further in their relationship but he always rejected her politely. There were times when she wasn't certain he actually wanted her but he always made those doubts go up in smoke when they met.

As Hermione spent almost every free moment studying, this meant that she hardly had any time at all for her friends, which they made her aware of on a regular basis. The apology she kept repeating was that she was preparing herself for the NEWTs. Another consequence of the massive amount of studying she did was that she skipped meals, which Snape often scolded her for. Hermione, however, didn't notice that she grew skinnier as she hardly ever looked at herself in a mirror. Fortunately, she had managed to stay away from alcohol and drugs most of the time. There was the occasional time when she knew Snape would be away from school for a day and she drank herself drunk, cherishing the feeling alcohol caused. She had found a recipe of a potion, which got rid of the alcohol in the blood, in a book in the restricted section of the library. Despite the feelings of guilt this caused when Snape tested her blood, (he claimed he had to keep doing this as he had to show the headmaster records of the tests), she kept on drinking alcohol she had stolen from the kitchens. She had, however, managed to stay away from drugs completely, which was quite an accomplishment in her eyes.

This particular evening, Hermione and Snape had decided to meet in an abandoned classroom on the fourth floor, at midnight. As the classroom was no longer in use, it was very dirty and dusty. Snape was the first one to arrive and he performed a cleanup of the place the second after he had put silencing and locking spells on the door. While performing locking spells on the door, he also put another charm on the door, which made it possible for him to see right through it. He removed his outer robes and unbuttoned the two top buttons of his shirt as he waited for her to arrive. As he saw her approach, through the door, he undid the wards and let her in. After making sure the door was heavily warded against intruders and put under a silencing charm, he approached her.

"You didn't think I was going to show up, did you?" she asked softly and put her arms around his waist. She leaned on his torso and breathed in his scent. "You always look so surprised".

"Let's just say that I find it rather surprising that I have managed to keep your attention for several weeks now," he teased her and embraced her after placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"Severus?" Hermione said and stepped back from him, after grasping one of his hands. "Are we ever going to move forward in a physical way in this relationship? Despite how much I do enjoy our conversations, and you know I do enjoy them; I do want more physical contact than kisses and caresses. It is not like I'm going to go somewhere else to get what I want, but still...," she said seriously and looked into his eyes.

"I can tell you are being honest and I will try to respond in the same way. The reason I didn't want us to go further is because I do not want us to do anything like that in an empty classroom," he said and gestured at the room around them. "I did not want to show you my quarters for I was afraid that you might run the very moment you left my quarters to tell your classmates about them. Forgive me for not trusting you; it is not about you. I have always found it very hard to trust people until they give me very good reasons for me to do so. I do, however, think that I can trust you so I will show you my quarters tonight. Follow me and let us pretend that I have just caught you being out after curfew. Leave the classroom at my signal". Snape removed the wards and stepped out into the corridor and looked both ways. As the corridor was empty he gestured for Hermione to follow him. He assumed his usual role as the snarky Potions professor and walked a few steps ahead of his student. Fortunately they did not bump into anyone on their way down to the dungeons. Once they were in the dungeons Snape looked around them once more to make sure there was no one there and he then whispered something to a portrait of a young woman dressed in green and the portrait opened itself. Snape gestured for Hermione to enter the hole and he did the same after her and made sure the portrait closed itself. They walked for a few seconds and then entered a room, which seemed to be the living room. The room was rather large and there were two sofas, four chairs and a fireplace. Creamy white was the colour of the walls but they were all covered by bookshelves, which were packed with books of all sizes. There were candlesticks on the few surfaces of the walls that weren't covered by bookshelves. The two bottom shelves of one of the bookcases had been replaced with a cupboard. There was a large, midnight blue carpet which covered most of the floor and there was also a small table, which was covered in parchment scrolls, between the two sofas with a candlestick on it. There were also two doors that Hermione assumed led to a bedroom and a bathroom. As there were no windows, the room was quite dark and the only light there was came from all the candlesticks, which were all lit. She assumed this was not a place where he worked. As Hermione looked up at the ceiling she was surprised to find that the room was a lot taller than she first thought. She also found that there were a number of candles floating in the air that contributed to the cosy lighting of the room. When they first entered the room, the fireplace had been empty but there was now a nice fire in it.

"This is my living room," Snape stated as a matter of fact. "This door," he said and gestured towards one of the doors, "leads to my laboratory. The other one leads to another small room which has a door that leads to my bedroom and another one that leads to my bathroom. Feel free to enter the bathroom but I would appreciate it if you did not enter my bedroom or my laboratory without me," he explained and sat down in one of the chairs. "Have a seat".

"It's a lovely room, very cosy. It suits you. Thank you for showing me this part of you". She sat down in one of the other chairs and looked at the bookshelves.

"Would you like something to drink?" he offered and walked over to the cupboard. "I am aware that I shouldn't really be offering you alcohol but I believe it is up to you to decide if you think you can handle it or not. There is some wine, whiskey, firewhiskey, beer, brandy but we could always order something non-alcoholic from the kitchen if you like.

Hermione felt rather guilty when she realised that he really trusted her with alcohol as he obviously believed she hadn't had any in almost two months. She did, however, manage to keep her emotions under control and he therefore didn't notice anything.

"I would like some whiskey, please".

Snape raised an eyebrow at her request but did not say anything. He poured two glasses of whiskey and handed one of them to her.

"Thank you," she said and took a large sip of it. She smiled slightly as she felt the familiar, burning feeling in her throat. "You know, it's quite funny because I always thought you were the brandy person, not the whiskey one".

"Well, I do enjoy a brandy once in a while but I have to say I do prefer whiskey most of the time. I have to admit that I am quite surprised to find you drinking whiskey. Many women tend to find the taste too strong".

"That's what I like about it though, the strong taste and the burning sensation it leaves my throat with," Hermione said and put the glass on the small table in front of her. "Anyway," she began and walked over to his chair. She took his glass out of his hand and put it down on the table as well. "I believe your body is way too covered for it to be healthy," she said and smiled. With a flick of her wand, all the buttons of his shirt were undone and she pulled the shirt away from his torso. His upper body did not disappoint her.

**Please review! I know the end of this "chapter" is very weird but I couldn't really find a good place to stop so I just cut the text into two halves. I'm afraid the next update won't be here before Easter – once again I'm sorry.**


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